City Sheriff addresses ‘The Haves and Have Nots’ and Age of Twitter

Timothy Hailes, one of the new Sheriffs of the City of London, has spoken of the need to connect those in the Square Mile with those outside of it, and urged colleagues to help restore trust in London’s business district.

Using his acceptance speech at the Sheriffs’ Election at Guildhall today, the first openly gay man to hold the office drew references to social inequality, “interconnecting worlds”, and the rise in popularity of Twitter.

Addressing the audience in the Great Hall, Sheriff-Elect Timothy Hailes said:

“In an ageincreasingly defined in messages of less than 140 characters, the old distinctions between Left and Right have been replaced by that between the ‘Haves and Have Nots’, and the young and the old, with those with and without higher education.

“I have gained some perspective about how the two different worlds – those inside and outside of the Square Mile – interconnect and overlap and perhaps, an understanding of how, and why, we can work for the betterment of them all.As well as reinforcing old friendships, weneed to foster new relationships for the new digital age and establish new connections.We must also demonstrate that integrity and trust are the bedrock of our civic government and community.”

A lawyer at J.P. Morgan, Sheriff-Elect Hailes specialises in international wholesale markets, derivatives, and financial regulation. He is the City of London Alderman for the Ward of Bassishaw and a magistrate on the Central London bench. Sheriff-Elect Hailes is a long-standing supporter of the LGBT equality charity, Stonewall; a Patron of the InterLaw Diversity Forum at Reed Smith; and a member of OUTstanding, a professional network for LGBT+ executives and allies.

Joining Sheriff-Elect Hailes to serve as a Sheriff for 2017-2018 is Neil Redcliffe. They will both serve for one year and will be admitted into office on 28 September.

Mr Redcliffe is an entrepreneurial businessman, who co-founded Currencies Direct, the international foreign exchange group, 20 years ago. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse and spent much of his early career in building and property development.

Mr Redcliffe, who served as Alderman for the Ward of Bishopsgate from 2009 to 2014, is a Past Prime Warden of the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers; Court Assistant of the Worshipful Company of World Traders; and an honorary liveryman of the Paviors’ Company. He also served as a magistrate at the City of London Magistrates’ Court. His interests include travel, history, the arts, and yoga.

Sheriff-Elect Neil Redcliffe said:

“My international business experience and deep knowledge of the City of LondonCorporation and the Livery are very sound bases from which to carry out the duties of Sheriff. Throughout my career, I have strongly promoted the values of integrity, fair play, and trust.

“In my year, I aim to champion what is good and positive in this country and help bring about change where values are weak and need to be improved. I want to contribute long-term towards building better trust in business in the City and the UK and in some small way, to use the extraordinary resources of business, the Livery, and the City to help make this a better world.”

Every year, the City of London Corporation elects two Sheriffs. One - or sometimes, both of them - will be an Aldermanic Sheriff, who may later seek to serve as Lord Mayor of the City of London. The Sheriffs support the Lord Mayor in his or her civic duties and serve as ambassadors for the UK-based financial and professional services industry, at home and abroad, by promoting the UK as a place in which to do business. They also support Her Majesty’s Judges at the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) in promoting the importance of the English rule of law to businessmen, diplomats, charities, the City Livery, leading arts figures, and school children.

The Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey), where the Sheriffs work and reside, is recognised as the most famous criminal court in the world and is owned and managed by the City of London Corporation.

The City of London Corporation provides local government and policing services for the financial and commercial heart of Britain, the 'Square Mile'. In addition, the City Corporation has three roles:

• We support London’s communities by working in partnership with neighbouring boroughs on economic regeneration, education and skills projects. In addition, the City of London Corporation’s charity City Bridge Trust makes grants of around £20 million annually to charitable projects across London and we also support education with three independent schools, three City Academies, a primary school and the world-renowned Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

• We also help look after key London’s heritage and green spaces including Tower Bridge, Museum of London, Barbican Arts Centre, City gardens, Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, Burnham Beeches, and important ‘commons’ in south London.

• We also support and promote the ‘City’ as a world-leading financial and business hub, with outward and inward business delegations, high-profile civic events and research-driven policies all reflecting a long-term approach.